Healthy Living
An Army TThat’hat’s
diers committed suicide says. “A lot of it is in your head.”
after returning home, Cornum is relying on the compre-
and thousands reported hensive mental health strategy, an
MENTALLY FFITIT
symptoms of combat- emerging effort to reduce the risk of
related psychological post-traumatic stress by strengthen-
problems, according to ing soldiers mentally as well as physi-
Soldiers require a host of tools to
Army offi cials. cally for the stress of combat.
Brig. Gen. Rhonda Part of that effort includes using
reduce stress and suicidal impulses. Cornum, the Army’s a DVD, called a virtual experience
assistant surgeon gen- immersive learning simulation, that
By Nat Helms eral for force projection, recently told allows soldiers to practice how to aid
the Association of the U.S. Army that a suicidal colleague, says Col. Elspeth
T
HE U.S. ARMY IS ROLLING OUT 20 percent of the soldiers return- C. Ritchie, director of the Army
some unusual initiatives to ing from Iraq and Afghanistan show Medical Department’s Strategic
address the growing problem symptoms of combat stress. Communications.
of combat stress in troops returning The rush to get new recruits into The DVD features realistic scenar-
from Iraq and Afghanistan. two war zones is exacerbating the ios about two soldiers contemplating
With about 20 percent of the com- problems, says Army Col. Craig suicide. Their story changes, depend-
bat veterans suffering from post-trau- Currey, director of the Basic Combat ing on how the viewers respond
matic stress dis- Training Center of Excellence at Fort to their situations. If the viewers
order, the Army Jackson, S.C. respond inappropriately, they can
is turning to “The old days of basic training replay a scene until they get it right.
interactive DVDs and then going to a unit somewhere Congress mandates that every ser-
that walk soldiers and learning from the [noncommis- vice member heading for the war
through diffi cult sioned offi cers] really is not happen- zones receive a mental evaluation
post-war encoun- ing, because they’re ending up in before shipping out, but it is up to
ters. Troops sta- combat,” Currey says. the soldier to report mental problems
tioned in remote Cornum, a former prisoner of war when they occur. Obtaining treat-
places far from in the Persian Gulf, says the Army ment also is left to the soldier.
traditional ser- needs to evaluate mental fi tness as Cornum says she wants the Army
vices also can get diligently as it does physical fi tness to implement a comprehensive pro-
STRESSED OUT
counseling over for soldiers returning from combat. gram that includes a mental score-
Interactive DVDs may
the phone. “Being ‘Army strong’ is being card refl ecting the soldier’s mental
help our soldiers.
Last year 115 sol- more than physically fi t,” Cornum and emotional well-being.
HEALTH TIPS FROM RUSSELL BLAYLOCK, M.D. Depression reduce their growth. Vitamin
Researchers have linked the D-3 inhibits the development of
BIG ‘D’ — THE ESSENTIAL VITAMIN variations in mood to seasonal some of the worst cancers, such
exposure to sunlight, which links as breast, colon, and prostate
Y
OU MAY KNOW THAT hard time making its way into our a lack of vitamin D-3, to this cancers.
vitamin D builds strong, bodies in the past. disorder. GES
healthy bones. BUT that’s only Newer research has disclosed Recommended Doses
part of the story — and a small Skin Deep several possible explanations For daily maintenance in
TY IMA
part at that. Since foods contain very
GET
for this association. We know otherwise healthy people, 2,000
In fact, vitamin D is essential little vitamin D, the body’s major that high stress levels can cause IU a day appears to be adequate.
for all-around good health. source is manufactured in the blood levels of corticosteroid, the For those with autoimmune
Without it, cells could not deeper layers of the skin. stress hormone, to increase. diseases, cancer, or viral illnesses,
/
JOHN MOORE/
function properly and the brain As little as 30 minutes in the higher doses may be needed —
would not develop fully. Studies sun can generate up to 50,000 Vitamin D-3 and Cancer Risk as high as 5,000 IU a day.
SOLDIERS
indicate that vitamin D regulates international units (IU) of the Higher doses of vitamin D-3
calcium in cells, protects the so-called “sunshine vitamin.” have been shown to slow cancer
immune system, regulates cell But getting enough sunshine growth by inhibiting cancer cell
Russell Blaylock, M.D., is
growth, and provides antioxidant to produce our own vitamin D reproduction. a nationally recognized health
and antiviral benefi ts. has been strongly discouraged, Studies have shown that practitioner, author, lecturer,
Despite its many benefi ts, and the average person’s level of vitamin D-3 can make melanoma and Newsmax contributor.
however, vitamin D has had a vitamin D has plummeted. cells more like normal cells and
78 NEWSMAX MAXLIFE / DECEMBER 2008
0078_HealthVet.indd 7878_HealthVet.indd 78 111/7/08 12:22:23 PM1/7/08 12:22:23 PM
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